The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1887-02-23
THE HOME DOCTOR.
BiliouSness.

BlllOuSneSS IS IS q COnQltl0n or the SyS-
tenn in which there is too little bile pro-
duced, instead of too much. The waste
elements, which ought to be removed
from the blood by the liver in the form
of bile, are left in the body. and accu-
mulate in the tissues. 1t is this that
gives the dingy color to the white of the
eye, the dirty hue to the skin, and the
coppery taste to the mouth, and which
produces the giddiness, the floating
specks before the eyes, and the general
feeling of languor and discomfort which
characterizes the condition commonly
known as biliousncss. This dingy hue
of the skin is actually due to the accu-
mutation of waste matter, or organic
dirt. The skin is dirty. perhaps not
upon the surface, but all through its
structure. Not only the skin, but the
muscles are dirty. The brain and
nerves are dirty. The whole body
is clogged with dead and poison
Gus particles which ought to have
been promptly carried out of it, but
have been retained on account of the in
sufficient action of the liver.
The causes of billiousness are various.
One of the most frequent is overcating.
If you press your fingers close up under
the ribs on the right side of the body
you can feel the lower border of the liver
about an inch above the lower edge of
the last RIB If you do the same after
eating hearty meal, you will find the
lower border of the liver half an inch
lower down. This is due to the fact
that the liver becomes enlarged through
the absorption of digested food after q
meal has been taken. If you eat very
large meal, say twice as much as you
usually cat, and then feel for the lower
border, you will find it reaching down
to level with the lowest rib, showing
that the liver is very greatly enlarged,
much more than it should be.
If you 20 on eating too much
in this way, day after day and week
after week, after while the vessels
of the liver will be so relaxed by fire.
quent distensions that the organ will
grow permanently enlarged and con-
gested. When in this condition the liv-
er cannot make the bile readily, and 80
does not Go the proper amount of work,
and the waste elements which it ought
to remove from the body are left to &C.
cumulate in the tissues, and all the symp-
toms of biliousness follow.
Biliousness is sometimes the result of
eating too freely of fats. Animal fats
being particularly difficult to digest, and
likely to be taken in too large quantities
in the shape Of butter, lard, suet, and
fat meats, are apt to produce this condi.
ton.
Some years ago French Psychologist
fed two various animals liberal supplies
of fat, and then observed the guam
tity of bile produced. He found
that the amount of bile was lessened
just in proportion to the amount Of fat
added to the food In order to ascertain
the reason for this result, he killed some
animals, after having fed them freely
with fat, and examined their livers with
microscope. BY this means he discov-
cred that the little cells which chiefly
compose the liver, and which form the
bile, were crowded with drops of fat,
and were thus 80 burdened and ham
pered in their work that they were
obi ged to work very slowly, and hence
produced only small quantity OF bile.
Similar experiments show that the ex.
cessive use of flesh food also renders the
liver torpid, and produces billiousness.
Flesh food generally consists of albumen,
nitrogenous substance, which can be
used in the body only in a very limited
amount The average person can use
only three ounces of this kind Of mate
rial each twenty four hours.
But if person eats several times this
amount in the form of becfsteak, mutton
chops, or any other flesh food, the su'
perluous amount must all be removed in
the form of waste matter. That is, il
the person eats meat sufficient to supply
four ounces of nitrogenous matter, the
extra ounce must be carried off by the
kidneys in the form of urea, or uric acid,
and this must be acted upon by the liver
to prepare it for removal by the kidneys.
If the liver has more of this work to do
than it should have, the work will be i'm.
perfectly done, and much waste matter
which ought to be removed will be left
in the system, producing biliousnesss,
rheumatism, muscular pains, sick head.
aches, and many other uncomfortable
symptoms.-GoodH Heuhh.